Politician
Tony Cardenas
Democrat · California · ran 2 times since 2020, won 2 · incumbent
FEC candidate H2CA28113
Tony Cardenas (Democrat) raised $1.6M for the 2022 California 29th District race, $1.1M of it from PACs, and outside groups spent $0 for and $0 against them (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Dec 31, 2022). They won.
Raised, all cycles
$3.0M
2022, 2020; counted once per cycle
From PAC checks
71%
$2.1M from corporations, trade groups, unions and politicians
Outside money for
$14
Super PACs and party groups helping
Outside money against
$0
Spent attacking them
71% of Tony Cardenas's campaign money came from PAC checks, not from people. That is one of the heaviest reliances on organized money in Congress.
Every run
Each election and its result. Campaign receipts cover the whole cycle and can appear in both regular and special contests; they count once in the totals above.
| Cycle | Race | Raised | PAC share | Outside for / against | Google ads | All money | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | California 29th District | $1.6M | 71% | $0 / $0 | $16K | $1.6M | ✓ Won |
| 2020 | California 29th District | $1.4M | 71% | $14 / $0 | – | $1.4M | ✓ Won |
Who wrote the checks
The PACs that gave the most across every run, and what kind of money it is.
Corporate $1.1MTrade group $346KUnion $263KMembership $181KOther $128KSuper PAC $36KLeadership PAC $4KParty $32
- Pfizer Inc. PACCorporateLobbyist PAC$10K
- New York Life Insurance Company Political Action CommitteeCorporateLobbyist PAC$10K
- Pg&E Corporation Employees EnergypacCorporateLobbyist PAC$10K
- T-Mobile US, Inc. Political Action Committee (T-PAC)CorporateLobbyist PAC$10K
- International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers Political Action LeagueUnionLobbyist PAC$10K
- American Crystal Sugar Company Political Action CommitteeCorporateLobbyist PAC$10K
- Edwards Lifesciences Political Action Committee (a.K.a. Edwards PAC)CorporateLobbyist PAC$10K
- At&T Inc. Employee Federal Political Action Committee (At&T Employee Federal PAC)CorporateLobbyist PAC$10K
- Humana Inc. Political Action CommitteeCorporateLobbyist PAC$10K
- Molina Healthcare, Inc. PACCorporateLobbyist PAC$10K
- Anthem, Inc. Political Action Committee (Anthem PAC)CorporateLobbyist PAC$10K
- Air Line Pilots Association PACUnionLobbyist PAC$10K
Outside money, for and against
Super PACs and party groups that spent the most on these races.
- National Union of Healthcare Workers Federal Committee On Political Educationfor $14
Funding and votes
How their votes align with industry funding
Across 10 industry-vote comparisons with at least $10K in traced funding, they voted the industry's way 4 times (40%). This is a retrospective comparison using covered 2020–2026 runs; some money arrived after the vote. A vote can appear for multiple industries. Unknown coverage is excluded. “With industry” means its stated preferred side, and does not establish causation.
| Vote | Industry | Their money from it | Voted |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIT21 (crypto market structure)House · 2024 · 279–136 | Crypto wanted yea | $0 | Nay · against |
| Israel Security Assistance Support ActHouse · 2024 · 224–187 | Pro-Israel groups wanted yea | $2K | Nay · against |
| SAB 121 repealHouse · 2024 · 228–182 | Crypto wanted yea | $0 | Nay · against |
| Antisemitism Awareness ActHouse · 2024 · 320–91 | Pro-Israel groups wanted yea | $2K | Nay · against |
| Israel security supplemental (Apr 2024)House · 2024 · 366–58 | Pro-Israel groups wanted yea | $2K | Yea · with industry |
| Ukraine security supplementalHouse · 2024 · 311–112 | Defense contractors wanted yea | $28K | Yea · with industry |
| Protecting Health Care for All Patients ActHouse · 2024 · 211–208 | Pharma and health care wanted yea | $494K | Nay · against |
| Joint-employer rule repealHouse · 2024 · 206–177 | Labor unions wanted nay | $294K | Present / not voting |
| NDAA FY2024House · 2023 · 310–118 | Defense contractors wanted yea | $28K | Yea · with industry |
| Israel aid (Nov 2023)House · 2023 · 226–196 | Pro-Israel groups wanted yea | $2K | Nay · against |
| Pistol brace rule repealHouse · 2023 · 219–210 | Gun lobby wanted yea | $0 | Nay · against |
| Lower Energy Costs ActHouse · 2023 · 225–204 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | $14K | Nay · against |
| Strategic Production Response ActHouse · 2023 · 221–205 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | $14K | Nay · against |
| Merger Filing Fee Modernization ActHouse · 2022 · 242–184 | Tech and AI wanted nay | $41K | Nay · with industry |
| Inflation Reduction ActHouse · 2022 · 220–207 | Oil, gas and coal wanted nayPharma and health care wanted nayWall Street and hedge funds wanted nay | $6K$232K$18K | Yea · againstYea · againstYea · against |
| Assault Weapons Ban of 2022House · 2022 · 217–213 | Gun lobby wanted nay | $0 | Yea · against |
| Safer Communities Act (post-Uvalde)House · 2022 · 234–193 | Gun lobby wanted nay | $0 | Yea · against |
| Affordable Insulin Now ActHouse · 2022 · 232–193 | Pharma and health care wanted nay | $232K | Yea · against |
| Bipartisan Background Checks ActHouse · 2021 · 227–203 | Gun lobby wanted nay | $0 | Yea · against |
| PRO Act (union organizing)House · 2021 · 225–206 | Labor unions wanted yea | $144K | Yea · with industry |
Constituents vs. funders
Voted the way most of their constituents wanted on 5 of 5 key votes (100%)
On 2 votes, industries that gave them $10K+ before the vote wanted the opposite of what most of their constituents wanted. They sided with the funders 0 times and with their constituents 2. Constituent views come from the Cooperative Election Study, a survey of about 60,000 adults a year. A side counts as what constituents wanted only when it leads by more than the margin of error; closer results are shown as split. Party explains most votes, and none of this shows that money changed a vote.
| Vote | Their constituents | Their funders | Voted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Energy Costs ActHouse · 2023 | 49% support ±2California (statewide figure) · split · CES 2024 · related question | $14K Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | NayVoters split |
| Strategic Production Response ActHouse · 2023 | 49% support ±2California (statewide figure) · split · CES 2024 · related question | $14K Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | NayVoters split |
| Inflation Reduction ActHouse · 2022 | 73% support ±2California (statewide figure) · wanted Yea · CES 2022 | $232K Pharma and health care wanted nay$18K Wall Street and hedge funds wanted nay | YeaVoters over funders |
| Assault Weapons Ban of 2022House · 2022 | 68% support ±2California (statewide figure) · wanted Yea · CES 2022 | No industry with a side gave $10K+ | YeaWith voters |
| Safer Communities Act (post-Uvalde)House · 2022 | 89% support ±2California (statewide figure) · wanted Yea · CES 2024 | No industry with a side gave $10K+ | YeaWith voters |
| Affordable Insulin Now ActHouse · 2022 | 87% support ±1California (statewide figure) · wanted Yea · CES 2022 · related question | $232K Pharma and health care wanted nay | YeaVoters over funders |
| Bipartisan Background Checks ActHouse · 2021 | 94% support ±1California (statewide figure) · wanted Yea · CES 2024 | No industry with a side gave $10K+ | YeaWith voters |
Figures are the candidate's principal committees as filed with the FEC, cycle by cycle. See About the data.
Questions people ask
- Who funded Tony Cardenas's 2022 campaign?
- Tony Cardenas (Democrat) raised $1.6M for the 2022 California 29th District race, $1.1M of it from PACs, and outside groups spent $0 for and $0 against them (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Dec 31, 2022). They won.
- Which PACs gave the most to Tony Cardenas?
- Pfizer Inc. PAC ($10K), New York Life Insurance Company Political Action Committee ($10K), Pg&E Corporation Employees Energypac ($10K), T-Mobile US, Inc. Political Action Committee (T-PAC) ($10K), International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers Political Action League ($10K) in 2022.
- How much has Tony Cardenas raised across elections?
- $1.6M in 2022, $1.4M in 2020. Receipts are counted once per candidate and cycle.